Nancy Drew's Not So Typical Christmas
by CeliaEquus
Summary: Yet another friend has requested Nancy's help with a case, far, far away from River Heights. But Nancy's all prepared to spend Christmas with her family and friends, NOT solving yet another case. Can a friend save the day? Brief appearance from the Dana girls. Disclaimer: I don't own the Nancy Drew game series; that is Her Interactive. Nor am I making money from this.


"Nancy Drew's Not So Typical Christmas"

It wasn't unusual for Nancy Drew to run into a case anywhere (_everywhere_) she went, regardless of whether she was doing work experience, taking a holiday, or even just chilling back in River Heights. Why wouldn't something come up to try to ruin her Christmas at home?

At this time of year, it _was_ chilly, a nice break after the heat of Egypt. Nancy was glad to be home, putting up the decorations while her family and friends also worked around the house, getting it ready for the Yuletide festivities the next week. Nancy was up a ladder, taping tinsel into place, when she began to fall.

"Whoa!" she said, relieved when familiar arms broke her fall.

"Hey, Nan." It was Ned, and he kissed her on the cheek before letting her stand up. "I thought I was the one dropping in?"

"Very funny," she said, hitting him on the arm. She moved the ladder along to be closer to the next spot where the tinsel needed to be secured.

"Nuh-uh-uh," Ned told her, pulling her away from the stepladder. "I'll do that. You go and help Hannah."

"Hannah's cooking," Nancy said, crossing her arms. "Are you saying that you'll stay out here and do the man's work, while I slave away in the kitchen?" She knew her eyes were sparkling, the traitors. Ned just laughed.

"I only mean that you like tasting the freshly-baked cookies," he said. "Smells like she's just got some out of the oven. Sure you don't want to go check them out?"

"Hmm." Nancy let the toe of her right shoe drag in the carpet. "Well, you make a very convincing case, Mr. Nickerson. Good sense of smell, too. You'll go far as a sniffer dog."

"Hey!"

She laughed as she darted out of the way, leaving him to finish with the tinsel, while she hid in the kitchen. As usual, the housekeeper – and her pseudo mom – Hannah batted her hand away with a wooden spoon.

"You'll burn yourself on those, Nancy," she said. "For a detective, you have no sense of self-preservation."

"If I did, I wouldn't solve half as many mysteries," Nancy pointed out, thinking over the times putting herself in danger's way had helped her find the answers she was looking for. She stole one of the cookies baked earlier, and was happy to find that it was still warm enough to be extra delicious.

"Nancy, your phone's ringing!" George called from the next room, where she and her cousin Bess were digging out the best china and silverware from the dining room cupboards. Nancy hurried in, and answered her cell.

"Nancy Drew speaking."

"Oh, thank goodness you answered!"

"Jean?"

"Yes! Listen, Louise and I are involved in this mystery, and—"

"Where are you?"

"We're in Spain."

"Who is it, Nancy?" Bess asked.

"A pen pal from way back," Nancy said, putting her hand over the speaker. "Her name is Jean Dana, and she and her twin sister, Louise, are… well, they're like me."

"Mysteries find them all the time, too, huh?" George asked.

"Pretty much, yeah." She returned to the call. "What's happening in Spain?"

"Our uncle brought us here on one of his liners. There was a robbery on board, which wasn't discovered until we'd already docked. By then, at least half a dozen passengers had already disembarked. We've been trying to find out where they might've gone, based on what they told other passengers, and what they told the booking office. But we need help, because _none_ of them are where they said they would be. Louise said we should call you."

Nancy bit her lip. She didn't want to be away from her family and friends for Christmas, even if she loved the idea of seeing the Dana girls again. But a robbery? Tracking criminals in sunny Spain? It sounded like the kind of thing where she really could help.

"What sort of robbery?" she asked.

"What?" Bess exclaimed. "Oh, there's no way you're going to Europe for Christmas!"

"Bess…" Nancy hissed.

"No. Your dad won't allow it, and you know what happened when you went to Germany. You and Ned nearly _broke up_."

"Bess is right, Nan," George said. Nancy sighed.

"I'll call you back, Jean," she said. "Listen, if I can't make it, call me whenever you need advice, okay? I'll have my cell with me at all times."

"Thanks, Nancy. We're real sorry about this, but we didn't know who to call. The police are concentrating on the ship, instead of the people who're no longer on board. Our uncle needs help on the streets."

"I'll see what I can do. Bye!"

"Bye, Nan."

Nancy sank into one of the chairs. She sighed, and ran her fingers through her loose red hair.

"I really wanted to be in River Heights for Christmas," she said.

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"Dad?" She turned around, and her heart sank at Carson's disappointed look. "No, of course I'll be here. It's just… one of my friends called."

"It's always a friend who's called," Ned added, walking into the room behind Nancy's father. "Is it urgent?"

"Kind of. I wouldn't be able to get there anytime soon. If I was leaving, I'd have to start packing now. B-but I'm not leaving, of course," she said quickly, before she could get any more disappointed looks. "I just wish I could help. I've already said Jean could ring me, but…" She shrugged.

Before anyone could offer advice, her phone began to buzz. It was another incoming call, a video one. When she saw the name, she lit up.

"It's Frank Hardy!" she said, and she hit the green button. "Hey!"

"Hi, Nancy," Frank said, smiling. Joe poked his head over his brother's shoulder.

"Looking good, Nan," he said. "Your friends there?"

"We're all here," she said, and Bess and George stood behind her. "How're things going?"

"It's all good," Joe said, giving her a thumbs-up. "Thanks for the German dictionary you sent. Austrian German's a bit different, but it sure did help."

"I didn't need it anymore," Nancy said.

"So the mystery at the Spanish Riding School's solved, and we're about to book our tickets back to America," Frank said. "Doing anything special for Christmas?"

"We're _all_ going to be here for Christmas," Carson said, putting a hand on Nancy's back.

"That's great," Joe said. "Hey, reason we're asking is because Mum and Dad have gone to Australia for Christmas, and Aunt Gertrude's gone with them. So… would there be room for two more?"

"Of course, and plenty of food, too!" Hannah called from the kitchen doorway. Joe grinned.

"That okay with you, Mr. Drew?" he asked.

"The more the merrier, right, Nancy?" Carson said. She nodded enthusiastically.

"It'll be great to see you…" She trailed off. Spanish Riding School. "There are still six days left `til Christmas, right?"

"Yeah," Frank said slowly.

"Well, I really don't like to ask…"

"Go ahead, Nan. We owe you, remember?"

"It's just that I've got a couple of friends who're trying to solve a mystery in Spain, and they need a hand. Could you check up on them for me? Is it far to Spain?"

"It's on our way," Joe joked, and he looked at Frank. "We could check, let you know how they're doing, lend a hand. Two heads are better than one, right?"

"Of course," Frank said, smiling warmly. "Email us the details, and we'll get right on it."

"Hope we'll see you Christmas Day!" Joe said, waving.

As soon as the video call was over, Nancy dialled Jean's number.

"Got good news for you," she said.

* * *

"What if it takes more than three or four days?" Joe asked, elbowing Frank. His older brother shrugged.

"You can head to River Heights, and I'll catch up as soon as I can," he said. "We were going to conference call on Christmas Day anyway."

"I'm not going back to America without you. You know that, right?" Frank didn't look away from the phone. "This crush you have is doomed. We're all doomed because of your crush on Nancy Drew."

"Don't be so dramatic," Frank said, elbowing him back. Joe leapt out of range. "And it's not a crush."

"Sure, sure," Joe said, raising his hands. "Excuse me while I get on the laptop and start looking up flights to Madrid. Oh, and I'll also see if I can find a Spanish language website. I don't think Nancy's been there before, so she probably won't have any useful books."

"Okay," Frank said, glancing back at the phone, wondering if he should call back and say that her friends would have to do without them.

No. Because it wasn't a crush.

It was so much more.

* * *

**Poor Frank.**

**I was trying to think of a name for Nancy's friend, and the Dana girls decided to pop into my plotbunny for a brief visit. Did you know that their uncle is named Ned? Weird, huh? (You know, there's probably a whole crossover fic in there.)**

**For those of you who don't know, the Dana girls are another creation of the people who invented Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, etc. The Dana girls books were originally written by Harriet Stratmeyer, using the penname Carolyn Keene. Groovy, huh?**

**The opening bit, with Nancy falling while decorating for Christmas, was inspired by a similar scene in one of the episodes of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew TV series from the `70s. And the boys who played the Hardy brothers are who I kept picturing as I wrote this. Darn you, Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy, for being so cute!**

**Happy Christmas!**


End file.
